Missed a Toe
by Locked Myself Up in a Room
Summary: Terrible pun for a Christmas themed one-shot that involves 13 y/o Sasuke and Naruto meeting under the mistletoe, but Naruto accidentally steps on Sasuke's toe. Awkward fluffy Christmas teens who have no idea how to express their feelings - alternate universe, could be modern AU or Naruto-verse, you decide. Enjoy! SasuNaru SasuNaruSasu NaruSasu pairing.


Naruto Uzumaki works his legs eagerly through the snow, despite the fact that it's thick and cold and reaches up to his knees today. He's excited to get to Sasuke's house, for his Christmas party. Sasuke had personally invited Naruto, which was very unexpected.

Naruto still remembers the day a week ago, Sasuke was acting a little nicer than usual and was blushing at odd times. He had seemed quiet, and Naruto finally asked him, "What's the matter Sasuke? You haven't even called me loser once today!"

Sasuke had glared at him, "Shut up. I've just been trying to find the right time to ask you if you wanted to come to my parents' Christmas party next weekend."

"Oh! A party! Yeah that sounds great ya know!" Naruto had replied excitedly.

"Good, so are you free then? It's on a Saturday. It'll mostly be grown ups and friends of my brother, but I figured it wouldn't be so boring if you came along," Sasuke said turning his face away from Naruto slightly.

"Sounds great ya know! I've never been to a Christmas party before, so I'm excited!" Naruto had smiled widely, and Sasuke turned to him, and gave him a smile as well. It was a smile that made Naruto's insides squirm, for some strange reason.

But of course, it had to be a snowy, almost blizzard-like day out on Saturday. By the time Naruto finally reaches Sasuke's home, huffing and panting like a maniac after trudging through the thick heaps of snow, his pants are soaked and his brow is covered in cold sweat. He's grateful that Sasuke's gift is not ruined though, it's still wrapped nice and neat without so much as a stain.

Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, answers the door and his eyes widen at the sight. "Naruto," he says, "You're here a little early."

"Yeah, I thought I would surprise Sasuke," Naruto beams widely, and Itachi smiles back.

"Well come on in, it's freezing outside, and you're absolutely drenched," Itachi beckons Naruto inside, and Naruto quickly scampers in, shivering. "Mom, can you bring me a towel? Naruto is here early."

Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, comes hurrying in with a towel. She quickly begins to wipe Naruto off, muttering worriedly, "Oh Naruto! I was going to come and pick you up, you didn't have to walk all the way through this snow! Poor child, you'll get sick!"

"I'm fine, ya know," Naruto says, trying to get her motherly claws off of him. "Where's Sasuke?" She scrapes the towel up around his legs causing him to yelp in surprise. He holds on to his pants as she continues her frantic movements, trying to dry him off.

"He's still getting ready, he's been fretting all day about the decorations," Mikoto admits, "now come along, I'll get you a change of clothes. I think you and Sasuke are about the same size."

She rushes off, leaving a confused Naruto at the doorstep with Itachi. He looks up at Sasuke's big brother and asks, "Sasuke's been worried about the decorations? That doesn't sound like him ya know."

"Yeah," Itachi agrees, "Is that gift for him? I can take it to – "

"Oh, um, that's alright!" Naruto says, holding the present back before Itachi could grab it, "I'd like to hand it to him personally, ya know!"

"Alright," Itachi has a curious look on his face, as though he's seeing through Naruto's intentions. "Well, you can place it under the tree until the gift exchange then."

"Oh, there's a gift exchange?!" Naruto's eyes grow wide with glee.

"That's right, you've never been to a proper Christmas party before, have you?" Itachi glances down at Naruto, "Sasuke told me this would be your first."

"Yup, that's right. Growing up an orphan, I didn't have many chances to go to parties, ya know," Naruto explains in a matter of fact tone. He's glad that Itachi doesn't give him a look of pity, as others do whenever he mentions being an orphan. He's tired of peoples' isolating pity and rejection of him since he was young – he's had a lonely childhood, but of course, that all changed when he met Sasuke. Sasuke is Naruto's best friend, even though the two rarely admit that to each other.

Itachi leads Naruto through the threshold, but they are stopped forcefully by Mikoto, who brandishes an outfit out at Naruto. Naruto sighs and goes to the nearest bathroom to change, knowing that Sasuke will be irked when he finds out that he's wearing his clothes.

Bu Naruto does find himself enjoying the way Sasuke's suit fits him, even though it's the slightest bit snug around his waist. But overall, the material is comfortable and the suit looks extraordinary, stunning even. It's definitely an upgrade from the orange jacket and pants he was just wearing. He actually looks prepared for a Christmas gathering; Mrs. Uchiha even included a red and green bow tie for Naruto to wear.

The best part of the outfit is the smell – the aroma of Sasuke is all over the material, and Naruto is drowning in it, sniffing it up and smiling like an idiot to himself in the mirror. It's a good smell, one that Naruto never really noticed much until now. Has he just taken the Uchiha scent for granted all this time? But Sasuke is the only one who really smells this good, Naruto's never noticed his parents or Itachi smelling so wonderful. There's simply something about Sasuke's scent that Naruto is drawn to.

He walks out of the bathroom feeling like a new person, refreshed and fancy and ready for this party. Itachi grins widely at him, "That outfit looks much better on you than Sasuke."

Naruto laughs wholeheartedly, "I doubt that, but thanks!"

Itachi's smirk widens, and he gives Naruto a knowing look. Naruto blushes furiously, realizing that he just inadvertently called Sasuke handsome. Dammit! He didn't mean to carelessly announce what he was thinking.

He quickly tries to change the conversation by pointing to some strange dangly leaf that hangs near the Christmas tree, "What's that Itachi?"

"Oh that? Funny you should ask," Itachi says, his smirk growing even wider if possible. "That's mistletoe."

"Mistletoe? What's that?" Naruto asks, clueless.

"It's a Christmas tradition. Two people who stand under the mistletoe have to kiss. Sasuke made a point to put it up," Itachi explains.

Naruto feels his skin crawl with heat again, although he isn't sure why. He wonders why Sasuke would bother putting up mistletoe. Did Sasuke invite someone over that he had the intention of kissing tonight? Naruto wonders idly who that lucky person might be.

At that moment, the man in question walks into the room, a clear scowl on his face when he spots Naruto. "Naruto!" Sasuke's voice shatters Naruto out of his reverie.

"Oh Sasuke!" Naruto spins to look at Sasuke, who is wearing a wonderfully elegant suit, emblazoned with a shiny green tie. He is breathtakingly handsome, and Naruto blinks twice, gulping hard.

"Why are you in my clothes?" Sasuke seethes, "And why are you here so early?!"

"I thought I'd come early to surprise you! I had to walk through the snow though, ya know, so your mom lent me an outfit to wear," Naruto admits sheepishly, smiling and rubbing the back of his head.

Sasuke's eyes narrow, "Fine. But I'm still not ready, I have to wrap your gift so don't come in my room." Sasuke turns on his heel and pushes through his door, shutting and locking it behind him. Naruto's head is spinning with curiosity – what did Sasuke get him for a gift? He hopes it's nothing too expensive, because his gift for Sasuke is handmade, and something simple.

Naruto is reminded that Itachi is still in the room with him when he shakes his head and sighs, "My brother can be so rude sometimes, sorry about that."

"It's okay, ya know. Anyways, since I'm here a little early, how can I help?"

….

Naruto helps Mikoto with cooking in the kitchen, following her every instruction and laughing at her lame 'mom jokes.' He feels at ease with Sasuke's family, as though he's truly welcomed as one of their own. It's comforting to know that Sasuke's mother thinks so highly of Naruto, and helps him out whenever he's in need. Even Sasuke's father, who is usually brooding and quiet, cracks a few smiles and jokes with Mikoto and Naruto in the kitchen. Naruto is truly happy with the Uchiha family, and he hopes that he'll always have this sense of closeness with them all. His bond with Sasuke is one he treasures above all others.

"So, Naruto, how should we decorate these cookies?" Mikoto asks, pulling out a tray of freshly baked gingerbread men from the oven.

"Let's make the Uchiha family!" Naruto squeals excitedly, grabbing the blue frosting.

Mikoto laughs, "Okay, but don't forget to make a little Naruto gingerbread man! You're just as much a part of this family as Sasuke is."

Naruto takes her words to heart, and has to hide his face from her for a few seconds. He quickly wipes his tears away with a towel and gets to work on making a 'papa Uchiha' cookie. He's silent as he brushes the icing over the cookies, deeply moved by the Uchiha's acceptance of him into their home and lives.

As he decorates the cookies, he thinks back to his first few encounters with Sasuke. Although Sasuke has always been rather cynical and derisive, beneath that layer he's truly a nice guy, and Naruto couldn't ask for a better friend. Sasuke has been there for him in his times of trouble or need. For instance, whenever Naruto got into a quarrel with some of the older bullies in class, Sasuke would stick up for him and the two would fight back together. They would often end up in trouble together as a result, but Sasuke never blamed Naruto or had any ill words to say when they spent their afternoons in detention together. It was always during times of silence with Sasuke that Naruto realized how much their friendship actually meant to Sasuke. It was there in Sasuke's side glances or in his soft, barely visible smiles, that Naruto knew Sasuke's feelings were mutual. They both valued their friendship above anything else.

After decorating the cookies, guests slowly start to trickle in and Sasuke emerges from his room, hiding his gift for Naruto under the Christmas tree. Most of the guests are older adults, around the same age as Sasuke's parents. The guests are served alcoholic drinks, and soon all the adults are circled around, laughing boisterously and talking louder than usual.

This leaves Sasuke and Naruto as the odd ones out, too young to understand or care for the adult conversation. So Sasuke and Naruto eye the food table, with mouths watering.

"When can we eat?" Naruto asks hungrily.

"We have to wait for my parents to serve the food. The guests always get to eat first," Sasuke says.

"I'm a guest!" Naruto points out, ready to grab the ladle in the sweet potatoes.

Sasuke slaps his hand back, "Idiot! I said we have to wait!"

"No one will know if we grab two cookies off the cookie platter," Naruto's eyes slowly spread over to the elaborate dessert table.

"Hmm," Sasuke ponders this, looking back at the adults who are too busy in their conversation to notice him and Naruto. "Fine."

Naruto laughs excitedly and grabs two cookies, one for him and one for Sasuke. Then they hide near the tree and eat the cookies, both with wide smiles, as if they've accomplished a mass scale robbery.

"I used to never get in trouble before I met you," Sasuke comments, once his cookie is devoured.

"Haha, well, isn't life more fun with me ya know?" Naruto asks back, grinning ear to ear.

"Well, it's certainly more interesting, that's for sure," Sasuke says, "C'mon, I'd like to get something to drink to wash down that cookie."

…

It's only a few minutes later that they are able to finally eat. Naruto splurges on the succulent meal, overstuffing himself with turkey, sweet potato, green beans and various casseroles. Sasuke shoots him angry looks every once in a while, reminding Naruto to use his manners and not gobble down the meal like a caveman.

By the time dinner is done, Naruto and Sasuke are completely stuffed, and all the adults are red with drunkenness. Naruto spots Sasuke's mom gathered around an old photograph with some other guests, laughing so hard she has to wipe tears from her eyes.

"What is it?" Naruto asks excitedly, hoping he can understand the joke.

Mikoto looks at Naruto, then looks at Sasuke and brings her son in, hugging him close to her chest. "Mom!" Sasuke pushes away, startled by her sudden burst of affection.

"Sorry Sasuke!" Mikoto waves her hand apologetically, "I was just looking at this old baby picture of you! You were so cute! I almost forgot that you looked just like a darling little girl when you were so young!" she doubles over with laughter again, and Sasuke's temple pulses with anger.

Naruto, curiosity piqued, leans in to look at the picture. Sasuke sure was a cute baby, with rosy red cheeks and a surprising amount of hair. Naruto can see how someone would confuse him for a girl baby, and it makes him chuckle as well.

Sasuke sneers and storms off, too embarrassed to say another word. Naruto instantly feels a twinge of guilt for laughing – he knows Sasuke is sensitive about that kind of stuff.

Naruto walks off from Mikoto and searches for his hot tempered friend. He finds him sulking near the Christmas tree, arms crossed. Naruto walks up to him to make amends, but stops in his tracks when he notices it.

Sasuke is standing directly under the mistletoe.

Whether this was intentional or not, Naruto doesn't know. All he knows is that he better approach carefully. Sasuke gives Naruto a curious glance, wondering why he stopped walking so abruptly. Naruto blushes and steps forward a few paces, very slowly and cautiously.

"I didn't mean to laugh at you," Naruto says apologetically.

"Idiot," Sasuke mutters. "I'm not really mad at you. My mom always finds a way to embarrass me when guests are over, especially when she's had too much to drink."

"Oh yeah, I've never seen her like that ya know," Naruto comments, trying to keep the conversation light. His eyes keep darting up to the mistletoe and back to Sasuke's lips.

Sasuke notices Naruto's eye shift, and looks up, finally realizing where he's standing. His face instantly turns beet red, but he doesn't move. Now Naruto truly has no clue what he should do.

Sasuke clears his throat, arms still crossed, "Well, it's sort of a dumb tradition, but…" he clears his throat once more, and tries again, "I mean, you have to be standing under here with me too, if you want to…" his voice trails off, and he shuts up. Apparently, he can't muster the courage to finish his sentence. But Naruto knows exactly what he was going to say.

Naruto's heart is racing faster than ever before. He can hear the thrum of his heartbeat in his eardrums, drowning out all other festive sounds of the party. He advances slowly, inching forward like a stiff zombie, in utter disbelief that Sasuke wants to kiss him. Naruto never really paused to think about his feelings for Sasuke before, but now that it's out in the open, he realizes that he's always liked Sasuke as more than just a friend. Now, they're about to do something about those feelings, they're going to step over into untouched territory, by sealing a kiss together. Once this happens, there's no going back, they can't simply be friends after a kiss, can they?

Naruto's mind is riddled with excitement and nervousness and fear all at once. He feels like his body might collapse under all these emotions, but he keeps walking forward, realizing that he should pick up his pace before Sasuke changes his mind.

So he walks a little faster, maybe too fast, his heart beating like a drum out of control. Sasuke starts to close his eyes, and pucker his lips, and Naruto reaches his arms out forward, wanting to grasp Sasuke close but also not knowing if this is the right move. He steps forward, ready to kiss the person that makes his imagination run wild, when suddenly –

"OW!" Sasuke cries out loud, lifting his leg up and caressing his foot. "You stepped on my toe you idiot!"

"Ah! Oh no I'm sorry!" Naruto's arms are still outstretched; he looks like a lunatic, ready for a hug but with a desperate, pleading look on his face. "I didn't mean to! I guess I was nervous or something ya know." He laughs awkwardly, trying to shrug off his mistake.

Sasuke's eyes narrow and he nearly growls like a dog. Naruto thinks that their chance is gone now, he'll never recover from this. Sasuke surely won't ever forgive him for being the world's biggest dumbass. He might just have to hide under a rock from the embarrassment.

Naruto suddenly feels a surge of anger lumped up in his chest – he isn't sure if he's mad at himself for ruining his chance to kiss Sasuke, or with Sasuke for yelling so harshly at him and glaring at him like he is now. Whatever it is that's making him mad, Naruto can't just stay quiet, so he starts rambling out his jumbled up thoughts, "Well, this is your fault Sasuke! Why do your feet have to be so big?! And I barely stepped on your foot ya know! I just slightly—"

But the words were suddenly stolen from Naruto's mouth. In his rage of incoherence, Sasuke had grabbed Naruto by the collar and pulled him in roughly, closing the distance between their lips. Now, Naruto's lips are shocked by the warm, soft touch of Sasuke's against his own. His heart is still thumping from a mixture of anger and desire and his stomach is now erupting with butterflies and the rest of his body feels like melting.

The kiss is parted almost as quickly as it started. Naruto is rendered completely speechless, and somewhat punch drunk. His cheeks are burning, and he wants nothing more than to try that again, but Sasuke is looking at him with a curious expression. Sasuke's cheeks are flushed and he looks dizzy, almost feint. His usual sneer is completely vanished, replaced with a stunned, breathless appearance. Naruto wonders for a split second if he looks like that too – lost and blushing and delirious after that quick yet highly anticipated kiss.

But then Sasuke snaps out of it, coughing to hide the embarrassment and averting his eyes. "So um. You were just blabbering and I had to shut you up. And being under the mistletoe…it was just obvious how to get you quiet. You're still a loser."

"Right," Naruto says, still dazed, head somewhat foggy.

"Anyways," Sasuke utters awkwardly, before stepping away from the mistletoe. Naruto watches with agony as Sasuke scurries away, and then vanishes from sight. Was Naruto a bad kisser? Why did Sasuke run off like that?

Naruto has no idea, and he's still too flustered and bewildered to do anything about it. So he slowly makes his way towards the couch, where he slumps over and sighs.

But no matter what he does, he can't stop thinking about that kiss.

/

Did that really just happen?! Sasuke is curled up in a ball on his bed, rocking back and forth and trying not to implode.

He just grabbed Naruto and kissed him.

He's wanted to do that for so long now and it feels surreal that it actually happened.

The problem, of course, is that it didn't happen the way he expected it to. And then he simply called Naruto a loser and walked away, as if it was no big deal.

But it _was_ a big deal. Sasuke's chest is still inflated and his heart won't stop pounding and pushing against his chest like a tap dancer going crazy on a stage.

He has no idea how he'll ever face Naruto again, or what he can say to him. Perhaps that's why he dashed off from under the mistletoe so quickly in the first place – he was ducking for cover, too much of a coward to confess his real feelings for Naruto. What if Naruto simply laughed at him? What if it ruined their friendship forever?

Sasuke hugs a pillow tight to his chest. He's probably only making things worse by hiding in his room. He'll have to face Naruto again, and soon too. But for now, all he wants to do is somehow process his emotions. The entire scene replays through his head like a broken record, and no matter how hard he tries to evade it, he can't stop thinking about how wonderfully soft and full Naruto's lips felt against his own.

But, he simply has no idea how Naruto feels about him. Naruto likes to play games and joke around a lot, so was he only kidding when he walked up and stepped on Sasuke's toe? Well, it had seemed like Naruto was genuinely sorry for that, so that really must have been a mistake…and then there was that astonished look on his face after Sasuke kissed him…was he feeling just as nervous and excited as Sasuke? What did he think about that kiss? What did he think about Sasuke?

Sasuke buries his face in his pillow once more, feeling an urge to scream out his frustrations. Only, he's interrupted by a light tap on his door. His heart instantly leaps up to his throat, he isn't prepared to talk to Naruto yet!

But it isn't Naruto who enters his room, it's Itachi.

"Itachi," Sasuke sighs with relief, and then asks sharply "what do you want?"

Itachi invites himself in and sits next to Sasuke on the bed, patting him on the back, "What happened between you and Naruto?"

"What?! Nothing!" Sasuke denies quickly, trying to push his brother off the bed.

But his brother doesn't move an inch, he turns his head and gives Sasuke an 'I'm not buying it' kind of look. Sasuke gives up on trying to be aloof with Itachi – somehow, Itachi always sees through his deceptions. "Naruto…he…" but Sasuke doesn't have the words, and his face is suddenly crawling with red again. "he's such an idiot!" Sasuke finally manages to say, chucking his pillow across the room and balling himself up again.

Itachi wraps an arm around Sasuke, "So you attempted to stand under the mistletoe then?"

How Itachi knows everything will always be a mystery to Sasuke, "something like that…"

"I'm not sure what happened, but I can tell you this much – Naruto definitely likes you," Itachi says, hugging his brother affectionately.

"How do you know that?" Sasuke wonders, peeping up at Itachi to check if he's bluffing.

"Naruto is currently sitting on the couch, with this odd, soft expression on his face. When I asked him what was going on, he simply told me that he should've never stepped on your foot…whatever that means," Itachi explains.

"He's such an idiot," Sasuke mutters, still bitter about his toe being stepped on. "And that doesn't prove anything Itachi."

"Hm," Itachi thinks on this, "I've never seen Naruto like this. He's quiet for once, not even our mother could stir him from his stupor. And he keeps looking back at the mistletoe, his eyes are drawn to it like glue."

Sasuke ponders this information, trying to sort out the truth. Does Naruto really have feelings for him? Why hasn't he said anything before?

"I think it would be best if you two were honest with each other," Itachi continues, "He has your best interests at heart, and I know you value his affections as well."

Sasuke blushes deeply again, and decides that he's had enough of this brotherly bonding moment. "Okay, I get it, now get out," Sasuke demands, although in a slightly gentler tone than his usual bark.

Itachi gets up, taking his cue to leave. He turns to Sasuke one last time and says, "I know you'll make things right."

Sasuke nods, too embarrassed to say anything, and allows his brother to leave and close the door behind him.

Sasuke takes in a deep breath. It's time for him to stop hiding under the covers and face the music.

….

Sasuke is both surprised and relieved to find that most of the guests have left by now. He spots Naruto quickly on the couch, sitting motionless and dazed just as Itachi had described. Sasuke sighs and walks towards him, with his heart in his throat and his hands shaking. He stuffs his trembling hands in his pockets and leans casually against the couch's arm.

Naruto turns to him, and smiles, "Hey Sasuke! I haven't given you your present yet."

Sasuke startles, having completely forgotten about the gift exchange. "That's right. Let's wait till the last few guests leave, then we can open each other's gifts."

"Okay," Naruto blushes a little, and it doesn't go unnoticed by Sasuke. "I hope you aren't expecting anything too big or expensive ya know…"

Sasuke sighs, "of course not. It doesn't really matter what you got for me, I'm sure it's fine."

"I want it to be more than fine though, ya know! I put a lot of thought into what to get you…and it wasn't easy," Naruto explains, looking desperate.

Sasuke chuckles, "Idiot, it's just a gift. You didn't have to worry so much." Sasuke's words are quite ironic, considering how much he fretted over what to get Naruto. He spent the better part of the last week figuring out what to get him.

"Well, while we wait, can we go out in the snow? I want to make a snowman," Naruto is excited, bouncing up on the couch. It seems like he's back to his usual self. Did he decide to just ignore that kiss from earlier and sweep it under the rug like it never happened? Sasuke isn't sure…but he knows somehow that this isn't the right time to ask.

So Sasuke nods and indulges Naruto. They go out back and pack up the snow, making a tall snowman per Naruto's wish. Naruto's cheeks turn rosy from the cold and his breath emanates in hot waves from his soft lips, and Sasuke feels like melting despite the chill in the air. Watching Naruto like this – full of energy and life, a literal ball of sunshine, warms Sasuke up from the inside out.

When they walk inside after creating their snowman, the rest of the guests are gone. Itachi's parents are cleaning dishes in the kitchen and Itachi is putting away the leftover food. The living room with the massive Christmas tree is empty, and the mistletoe still hangs delicately by the tree, almost seeming to beckon them forth.

Sasuke makes towards the tree, searching for Naruto's gift. "Here," he hands his wrapped present to Naruto, who beams at him. Naruto then finds his present for Sasuke, and gives it to him.

"Let's open them together," Naruto says. Sasuke nods, and the two rip into their gifts, tearing off the wrapping paper, eager to see what's inside.

Naruto gasps out loud and Sasuke holds back a cry of surprise.

Naruto chuckles a little at all the instant ramen boxes of his favorite flavor, it's truly the perfect gift. But, there's still more. Underneath the boxes of instant ramen is a beautiful, yet simple, silver chain. Naruto holds it out questioningly, and Sasuke explains, "the necklace that Tsunade gave you broke, right? I thought you might want to replace it with this, you can put the blue crystal she gave you back on it."

"It's perfect," Naruto whispers. He digs some more and finds the last item, a pendant with the Uchiha symbol. Naruto chokes back a sob of happiness.

"I know it's sorta lame…but since we're good friends, I thought you might want to switch out the charm Tsunade gave you with the Uchiha symbol every once in a while…you're basically part of our family, so, yeah," Sasuke explains somewhat lamely, blushing from ear to ear. Naruto places the pendant on his new chain, and then wraps it around his neck. He loves the feel of it on his chest, and the symbol that it represents. He has a family.

Sasuke diverts their attention to his gift from Naruto, which he lifts up. "You really did put a lot of thought into it," Sasuke says, admiring his new picture frame, "I assume this is for the picture of us that I keep in my drawer?"

"Yes, I kept seeing it there, and I thought maybe you'd like a better spot for it," Naruto admits, red in the face.

"It's wonderful," Sasuke looks at the symbols painted on the frame, "You made it yourself?"

"Yeah," Naruto laughs awkwardly, but Sasuke doesn't tease him. He's too moved by his gift to call Naruto a 'loser' or 'idiot.'

Sasuke wants to go and get the picture from his room, and see how it will look with Naruto's beautiful frame around it. When he goes to get up though, Naruto grabs him by his wrist. Sasuke looks at him, puzzled, and then follows Naruto's eye gaze upwards. The mistletoe. They are sitting under it, once more.

Sasuke instantly freezes and turns scarlet. Naruto looks at him expectantly, "I'm sorry about earlier."

"No," Sasuke shakes his head, "I'm the one who should apologize…I just left you there under…and, I never explained how I felt…I didn't give you a chance to talk either."

"Do…do you want to try again?" Naruto asks, in a sweet and innocent tone that nearly kills Sasuke.

Sasuke leans forward slightly, eyeing Naruto carefully to make sure this isn't a prank, "Are you serious? You mean, you want to try kissing me again?" His cheeks are burning, but he has to be sure that Naruto isn't kidding around.

Naruto nods, a little too enthusiastically, "Yes! It's all I've been thinking about."

Sasuke's heart flutters at those words. Perhaps Itachi was right. "Me too," Sasuke admits, inching forward a little bit more. Their noses are almost pressed together now.

"Really?" Naruto asks, a little skeptically.

"Really," Sasuke says again, now pushing his nose up against Naruto's. There's no turning back from here.

Their lips meet once more, but this time in a more tender, affectionate manner. Naruto's lips are warm and soft and he tastes absolutely amazing. Sasuke's hand slowly crawls up to Naruto's hair, to tangle his fingers in those blonde strands. They kiss gently, closed lipped and tentative at first, both still new to the sensation. Sasuke turns his head slightly to the side, to get a better angle, their lips parting, but just barely. Not enough for tongue, but enough to expose the truth to one another, to open up their trust – this kiss is more than a simple requirement of being under the mistletoe. There's true emotion behind it, and it's obvious that they both share these intense feelings.

The kiss ignites something like fire in Sasuke, and he's overwhelmed with how much he cares for Naruto. His hands slide down from Naruto's hair and he grips the back of Naruto's shirt, fingers tightly wound and shaking. Somehow, he's still nervous to be sitting here and kissing Naruto tenderly – he fears what may happen when the kiss parts. Will everything shatter? Their friendship is no longer platonic, they can't ignore these surmounting feelings they have for one another…but what will happen?

Sasuke dares to be bold, allowing Naruto to finally pull away from their embrace. Naruto pants for a moment, his breathing harsh from the exhilaration. Naruto is looking at him with pure admiration and affection. His azure eyes are full of wonder and awe for Sasuke, and Sasuke feels something melt inside his chest.

He's overcome with joy, so much that it renders him speechless. He can't hide the wide grin on his face, not now. He's usually able to mask his emotions behind a scowl or a snide remark, but his mind has drawn a blank. Naruto is the only person who can pull back his layers so easily, and read between the lines to figure out what he's really thinking behind his smirks.

It's Naruto who finally speaks up first, "So Sasuke…I really, really like you." It's his candid, innocent words that Sasuke admires. Naruto is the sun, a warm and breathtaking burst of energy that shines light onto Sasuke. Naruto is shining brighter at that moment than Sasuke has ever seen before.

Sasuke smiles even wider, if possible, "I like you too," he gulps, not sure what else to say. Since he can't think of the words now, he simply holds out his hand, palm facing upwards for Naruto to take. Naruto notices and eagerly grabs Sasuke's hand, squeezing tight and providing another surge of warmth throughout Sasuke's being.

It looks like things will be okay. They can take this slow, and find out more about each other as their relationship blossoms and matures. For now, sitting under the mistletoe and holding Naruto's hand is all the assurance that Sasuke needs.


End file.
